Situations exist where it is desirable to provide to a solid or semi-solid surface or to a liquid phase or vapor phase three-dimensional volume a mixture of two, three or four compositions, one or more components of which chemically react and/or physically interact with another of the components of another of the compositions and whose reaction and/or interaction is desired to occur on the aforementioned solid or semi-solid surface or in the aforementioned liquid phase or vapor phase three-dimensional volume but not in the container wherein the aforementioned two, three or four compositions are stored. Examples of this type of system include:
(a) cleaning systems in which (i) an alkaline material and (ii) an acid material and/or (i) an oxidative material and (ii) a reductive material are brought together on a solid or semi-solid surface and/or in a liquid-phase volume to provide, for example, an effervescing action, a cleansing action, and a dissolution of soil on a solid or semi-solid surface and/or in a liquid phase volume, e.g. utilizing the dual container article and drain-cleaning compositions, LIQUID-PLUMR®, The Clorox Company or the dual container article and drain-cleaning compositions DRANO® The Drackett Company; or the dual container article and carpet care compositions stored OXY KIC® BISSEL Homecare;(b) oral care systems in which (i) an oxidative material and (ii) a reductive material are brought together in the oral cavity to provide a cleansing action therein, e.g. utilizing the container article and compositions, MENTADENT® Church & Dwight Company;(c) liquid personal care products in which (i) a body wash, a lotion, a cream, a shampoo, a hair conditioner, a hair color former and/or a hair color modifier, e.g. a hair bleach and (ii) a fluidic microencapsulated fragrance and/or benefit composition, such as an aqueous slurry of microencapsulated fragrance and/or benefit agent are admixed;(d) liquid fabric care products in which (i) a liquid detergent, including. WISK® Cheseborough Ponds Inc; and/or a liquid fabric softener, such as SUAVITEL® Colgate-Palmolive Company. and (ii) a fluidic microencapsulated fragrance and/or benefit agent composition, e.g. an aqueous slurry of microencapsulated fragrance and/or benefit agent are brought together on a solid or semi-solid surface or in a temporarily-storable admixture to provide an appropriately-treated solid or semi-solid surface e.g. a fabric surface or a cookware surface;(e) color forming systems in which (i) a first dye precursor and (ii) a second dye precursor are brought together and the resulting dye is appropriately applied to a surface or subsequently admixed with other appropriate components; and(f) adhesion systems and/or plumbing systems in which (i) a pre-polymer such as an epoxy resin pre-polymer, e.g. the reaction product of epichlorohydrin and bis-phenol-A or a cross-linkable vinyl polymer such as a low molecular weight polyacrylic acid-polyacrylamide co-polymer, (ii) optionally a cross-linking agent such as a melamine-formaldehyde cross-linker and (iii) a curing catalyst are brought together at the junction of two solid surfaces of two articles in order to permanently adhere the article surfaces, one to the other, for example, using the package instructions for the epoxy resin pre-polymer—curing agent , J-B WELD® Mary L. Bonham and VersaChem® 4 Minute Epoxy Steel Quick Set Type 44™, ITW Performance Polymers Consumer Division.
The aforementioned reactive and/or interactive compositions cannot be stored in the same three-space or three-dimensional volume for an extended period of time, such as more than 1 minute or, constituting an unstable system, they would react and/or interact while in storage, whereupon their solid or semi-solid surface or liquid phase three-dimensional volume treatment capabilities would be totally or substantially nullified.
The prior art recognizes the aforementioned reaction and/or interactive composition storage problems and discloses a number of dual container article systems for storing such reactive compositions and/or interactive compositions, and delivering the compositions to solid or semi-solid surfaces or to liquid-phase or gaseous-phase volumes, for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,760,986, 4,585,150, and 6,776,308
The prior art, however, does not provide reactive and/or interactive composition pre-storage and delivery systems where, immediately prior to use, the rate of mixing of the reactive and/or interactive compositions and time of mixture storage prior to delivery to the surface-to-be-treated or to the liquid phase or gaseous phase volume-to-be treated are readily controllable. Further, although such problems as the interaction of personal care, surface cleaning and fabric care bases with microencapsulated fragrance and/or benefit agents, such as air freshener, malodour counteractant and/or insect repellent, slurry suspensions appear to be recognized in such disclosures as published U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2004/0071742 which discloses:                “. . . if stability of the capsule and coating system is compromised by inclusion in the product base, product forms which separate the bulk of the base from the fragrance composition may be employed . . .”no specificity as to the ‘product forms’ mentioned is disclosed or suggested in the prior art.        
In addition, the prior art does not disclose or suggest a versatile multiple, such as 2-4 separated, compartment article initially containing, in each compartment, a fluidic composition which contains at least one component which will chemically react and/or physically interact over a relatively short period of time with at least one component of another fluidic composition located in another of the compartments on mixing therewith that can, when in either (i) a stationery upright position or (ii) when being held in a non-vertical position is capable of providing in an expeditiously controlled manner a temporarily storable, deliverable and promptly usable mixture of the reactive and/or interactive component-containing pre-stored compositions.